WAITING IS TORTURE, Maddox knows all too well. The constant glances at the clock on the wall, which doesn't seem to be moving forward, makes her hold her hands to her head, trying to do something to stop the trembling in her hands. She tries to make it stop in other ways, like biting her nails —she has just done them, she really should stop— or making an irregular noise with them against the metal arm of the chair. She knows that if anyone was there with her, someone would probably have yelled at her by now, because the Eastons lose their temper easily in a stressful situation.

Maddox feels like she's been waiting a lifetime for uncertain things: for someone to read her a story at night, for her father to come home from the war, for her mother to agree to adopt a puppy, for Ryan Jenkins to ask her to go to Homecoming together, for Harvard to accept her after sending the application letter. But she feels that nothing is more uncertain and terrifying than waiting for the results of her mother's visit to the oncologist. The mere thought makes her heart race. She knows he must remain calm, but based on her mother's face, the lump in her breast didn't look too good.

And, to top it all off, Dennis still hasn't shown up. Maddox has long known he's a lost cause, a rebel without a cause whose only goal in life may be to make his parents' lives hell, but even his sister thought that in a situation like this he'd show up on time. It's close to seven o'clock and Dennis still isn't responding to her text messages, or her calls, even the code the two siblings share to indicate that it really is an emergency. Dennis is MIA, and their parents are still in the office, so Maddox is alone with the mess on her mind.

She decides she's had enough after kicking the couch a few times, because she knows that's no way to expel her anger, and grabs the phone from her pocket, dialing her brother's number again. "Look, I don't know where the fuck you are, but I'm starting to get worried. And pissed off at the same time. Can you pick up the fucking phone, Dennis? Mamá y papá are coming out in a matter of minutes. I hope you have a good reason why your ass isn't in this waiting room. I'm not kidding, Den. Get back here now or you're going to get in serious trouble."

She hangs up the phone quickly because the ER door opens, and she's hopeful it's her brother; but no, a gurney is being rushed in by two paramedics and two nurses. Maddox quickly loses sight of them, not because she doesn't care, but because she prefers to keep a cool head to wait for her mother's results, and she knows that if she gets too involved in other people's images and possible diagnoses, Maddox will be anything but calm.

"Any idea where your brother is?" Her father's voice startles her, because she is so unaccustomed to hearing it that it almost seems like a stranger. He's recently returned from Iraq, so even the image she had of him before doesn't match what she sees now.

"No, papá. I've left him a couple of messages, but he's not answering. Don't worry, I'm sure it's just that there's traffic or something," Maddox lies. She hates lying for her brother, but she's had her brother's back their whole life, and she feels like she's not going to start letting him down now.

Her father nods, an inevitable sigh escaping his mouth. "We know it's a delicate time for you guys too, but having you here might be good for your mother, in case..."

"In case things don't go well," Maddox nods, her gaze lost somewhere in the room. "I know, papá. He'll call right away, I'm sure. There'll be a reason to—"

Her father's phone rings, and Maddox sinks into the waiting room seat because the ringing tone is ridiculous and pathetic and she's told him a thousand times since he's been home that he should change it. The man holds up a finger to interrupt her briefly. "Dennis? It's Dennis," Maddox nods, feeling somewhat better, but her father's face falls with uncharacteristic rapidity, and Maddox wonders if this week is always her week of woes. "What do you mean, like in jail?" The girl's eyes go wide and she feels herself getting dizzy, glaring at her father for explanations. "Jonah? What happened? What did he do?" Jonah, her lifelong next door neighbor and trusted cop. He's a couple of years older than them, and frankly Maddox has always thought he has a thing for her. "I'm on my way over there right now. Oh, my goodness. Yes, yes, thank you."

"What do you mean, in jail, papá? What happened to Den?"

"They wouldn't tell me everything over the phone, but knowing your brother, you can imagine why he got caught smoking pot in a park in broad daylight while being underage."

"I'm coming with you."

Her father shakes his head, huffing and visibly angry. "You'd better stay with your mother. She'll need you more now than your brother," he gives her a hard look and nods, disappearing behind the hospital door.

And it's always been that way, Maddox being the glue that binds that family together. Whether covering her brother's back or looking out for her mother's welfare, Maddox is used to being ignored at home and picking up the mess her brother leaves behind wherever he goes. With the absence of her father due to his constant missions abroad, her brother more rebellious as the years go by and her mother somewhat mentally unstable because of all this, Maddox has had to mature before her time and become an adult if she did not want to become any of the other three members of her dysfunctional family.

However, it hasn't all been bad things. It has given her great experience in life, not to mention the confidence she has gained in herself and the trust others have in her. They treat her like one more, like an adult, because that's what she is, while Dennis is still considered a child. Because an adult wouldn't end up in a cell right on the day his mother gets the results on whether she has cancer or not.

"You're a relative of Maria Easton, aren't you?" Maddox turns around, not recognizing the voice, and sees in front of her a young woman, short but with a hard face.

"Yes, I'm her daughter. I was waiting here so I wouldn't disturb the office too much, but my father has left and... Well, did something happen?"

"I'm Dr. Bailey. No, we haven't given her the results yet. The labs won't be out for a while, but she asked for water and for someone to be with her in the meantime. Do you think you'll be able to do that?"

"Sure, sure," Maddox replies, getting up somewhat distractedly.

"Then follow me, please."

Maddox has been visiting Seattle Grace for as long as she can remember. She was born there on a cold November evening, returned when she broke her arm skateboarding on a school field trip, and hasn't seemed to stop coming since her brother was diagnosed with diabetes. Every time she goes, however, it's different, so she has to follow Dr. Bailey, weaving her way through different crowds, as if there has been some mass accident and many people need medical attention. The nurses and doctors are rushing from side to side, and Maddox thinks she recognizes the residents by their wild eyes and the rush they have chasing their assigned attending.

On the gurney, Maria Easton rests, but her daughter knows her well, and behind her calm and stoic appearance is a woman dying of fear. So she decides she'd better not upset her, so telling her that Den is in jail and that her father has left looking for him is not an option. "Mija, I thought you would have left by now. Your father left a while ago, but he's not back yet."

Dr. Bailey interjects. "In the waiting room I've only managed to find your daughter, Mrs. Easton. Your husband has probably gone outside to get some air," then turns to Maddox, who blinks at the sudden responsibility of being her mother's escort. "We're sorry about the lateness of the tests. There's been a bus accident and we barely have any staff to deal with it. We hope to have them in about half an hour, Mrs. Easton. In the meantime, if you need anything else, just call me, okay?"

"Thank you, Dr. Bailey," Maria nods, smiling a little. "You haven't seen your father out there?"

Maddox bites her tongue for a few moments. She knows she's decided not to give her any more scares than she can already take today, but lying to her face is something she's not used to doing. She decides it's for her sake, and that Dennis isn't her responsibility, so she hopes he'll tell her himself later. "I saw him when he came out, but I don't know where he could have gone. In the meantime, I'll stay with you, okay?"

"Maddox, you should be at college. I don't want you to miss classes because of me."

"Mamá, Massachusetts can wait. I've asked for any notes to be passed to me. I'll study them as soon as we get out of here. I'll make up for these classes, I promise."

Maria smiles, because she knows her daughter always keeps her promises, and because it's a source of pride to her that Maddox got into Harvard. "I know, honey. Pass me that glass of water, will you? I wonder where your father's gone. And what about Dennis... Where could your brother have gone to?"

"I don't know, mamá. But I'm sure there's a reason. Don't you worry about anything," Maddox smiles a little, trying to distract her mother from the fact that neither her husband nor her son are with her on one of the most important days of her life. So Maddox does what she does best: putting the needs of others ahead of her own. "Remember when I was seven and we came here because I broke my arm at school? Miss Higgins went pale because I could put my arm like this," Maddox mimics the gesture, bending her arm in an odd way. Her mother smiles and looks at her. "It's already stayed that way forever. Pretty springy, huh? I was so sad because I'd missed the rest of the field trip and because calling parents always meant something bad happened. But my friends came to visit and signed my bandages, and in a couple of hours I went home. You told me that nothing was wrong, that I would be cured in a matter of days, that we would get ice cream on the way home. Well, it's the same for you now, mamá. Whatever happens, we'll be fine."

Miranda Bailey watches the scene from outside, hiding behind the lowered blinds of the living room window, with the information from the tests and x-rays performed on her patient. She's young, she hasn't been a surgeon for long, so she's still figuring out how to tell this woman in front of her daughter that she's been diagnosed with breast cancer.

But she has to tell her, so she doesn't waste any more time, because after all they are patients, just patients, and no matter how bad things look, doctors always have other places to be, more lives to save. Still, her heart breaks a little when she sees Maria's eyes fill with tears, and Miranda knows she's not crying because she has to stay strong for her daughter. Miranda decides to share the information with Maddox as well, who, to the doctor's surprise, remains much more composed than she expected. She merely nods, her face serious, squeezing her mother's hand throughout the reading of her diagnosis.

"The good news is that we caught it in time. The size is still quite small, so we'll possibly be spared the complications we would have suffered if you didn't come until later, Mrs. Easton."

"You'll be fine, mamá, you'll see," Maddox's eyes sparkle, but she's already seen her mother's wet eyes, so she tries to stay strong in front of her. She turns to Dr. Bailey. "That means chemo will be enough, right? Since it's not too big of a tumor, the chemo will do its job and remove it. If you start treatment early, the chances of it growing will be minimal, and then the need for an operation to remove the cancer will decrease."

Bailey hesitates, but Maria laughs. "My daughter is passionate about medicine."

"Well, your daughter is right. The fact that it was detected at a still-developing stage means the chances of recovery are high. However, science goes only so far. It is a disease and there are always risks, so we cannot guarantee total elimination. She will start chemotherapy in two days. You will be able to bring someone with you. We will provide you with all the details as soon as Dr. Webber can come, okay? He's the chief of surgery, I assure you, you couldn't be in better hands, Mrs. Easton," Bailey smiles a little, giving Maddox a knowing look.

It doesn't take too long for them to be interrupted, however, because shouting can be heard in the hallway, and to Maddox it's all too common. "I'll go see what's going on," she flashes another small smile at her mother to calm her down and closes the door as Bailey exits before her.

"What the hell do you think you were doing? Getting arrested the same day your mother gets her results. You know you were supposed to be here, not being a freaking delinquent in a park."

The people in the waiting room have nothing better to do than silently watch the dispute between her father and brother. "I already told you it was a mistake. Don't butt into my life now all of a sudden when you never bothered to show up."

"You're insolent and rude. Don't you have any sense of how your mother must be feeling? Aren't you ashamed of yourself?"

"Says the guy who shoots innocent people as a profession," Dennis spits venomously.

Maddox is aware that her father has flashbacks and memories, and that that might be the final straw in slapping her brother in the face, so she bursts into the scene, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment at the image. "What are you supposed to be doing? You're putting on a show. Mamá and the rest of the patients are in there and you guys are screaming and arguing like hotheads," Maddox's eyes water, increasingly aware that her mother will soon become a regular patient. Her brother and father look at her silently. "You two go on. I'll take her home. I don't know how the two of you don't look ashamed. Mamá got her results back, so you'd better behave yourselves next time, because we're going to be here for a while."

"She's had her results back, has she...?" The man interrupts himself, holding his hands to his face. "I'm going in."

"Mr. Easton, I recommend you listen to your daughter," Bailey interjects, standing next to the girl. "It's not good for patients to receive shocking news when they are given the diagnosis. Let your wife relax until you get home, at least. She doesn't have to face any more problems stuck in here."

Dennis simply looks at the scene, and Maddox notices that he has a scratch on his cheek, his hair is disheveled, and his clothes are dusty. The girl sees how the corners of his lips are curved downward, sad, but he says nothing, and Maddox thinks it's better this way: if he's not going to say anything nice, he might as well keep his mouth shut. Finally, her father nods and sighs, apparently realizing his mistakes. "All right. All right. Dennis, we're going home. We'll talk there. Let me know when you get back, okay?" Her father gives her shoulder a brief squeeze, thanking her with a look that someone is mature enough to deal with something like this.

The girl nods, still somewhat shocked and distracted, but she struggles back into the room. She feels a hand place on her shoulder, and has to duck her gaze to see Bailey behind her. "Drink something cool before you go back. Your mother is going to need all the support she can get, so sober up a bit before you head back. I'm sure you'll appreciate it."

Maddox nods fervently again. "Thank you, Dr. Bailey. And I'm sorry for the image we've given. My brother's been thrown in the brig for smoking in the street, probably with kids around, and my dad's a war veteran, so he doesn't have a lot of patience. And now my mom has cancer and... Sorry, I talk too much when I get nervous."

Bailey's eyes go wide. "You'd be surprised how many stories we hear in these halls, but I think yours takes the cake today. I need ID from you as an escort to discharge your mother today."

"Oh, yeah, right," Maddox rifles through her pockets, finding her ID shortly thereafter.

Bailey frowns. "You're not of legal age."

"No, doctor. I'm seventeen, just turned, in fact."

"Your mother mentioned classes and that you like medicine. I thought you'd be in college by now."

"Oh, yes, I am in college. I study at Harvard, actually. Biology," Maddox explains. Her breathing has calmed, and she realizes Bailey was trying to distract her, succeeding. "I like anatomy, so biology is the best choice to then get into medical school. I'm the first one in the family to go to college, so my mom loves to say that, you know? My mom fought so hard to get to America and raise a family, so I want to give back to her for everything she's done for us."

"Seventeen years old and you got admitted to Harvard? You must be a brainiac," Bailey raises an eyebrow, jotting things down on her tablet.

"I like to study. I like to learn things. I don't usually stop until I actually figure out something I couldn't figure out before," Maddox purses her lips into a thin line. "My brother often says it's kind of a sociopathic thing."

"Well, no offense, but you're at Harvard and he's spending his days in a cell," Maddox lets out a shaky laugh, and Bailey hands her back her ID. "I'll let it go just this once, seeing that your mother has no one here but you. Remember she has to come back when it says so on her discharge paper. Take good care of her and support her, okay? She'll need it more than ever. I'll see you soon..."

"Maddox. Maddox Easton."